Short Analysis: Using Examples, Finding Meaning

Today, we talked about the significant objects you found in Bender's short story "Dearth" and the examples in the texts that you used.

We examined these examples and developed a relationship/pattern.

Potatoes

-          Potatoes fill a void

-          “They were that memory, created.”

-          That memory = former life involving Mother (love, food, caretaking)

-          The potatoes have been created in order to provide her the feelings of that memory love, food, and caretaking.

Narrator is lacking love, nutrition, company, family

Nasturniums

Example 1: decorative flowers

-          Hardy (grow easily in difficult conditions) – good for our woman

-          Small, modest (opposite of sunflowers)

Example 2: nasturniums are watered (at moment of love happening in the street)

-          Nourishment/ Love

Example 3: Nasturnium seeds = location of potato death (flowers that have not yet become flowers, but they have potential)

-          Potential for potatoes

-          Potential for flowers

-          Potential for woman

Example 4: potatoes unburied, dressed/accepted, Nasturniums blossom (growth – generation)

Dirt

                Function of Dirt:

1)      Impurity

2)      Place of removal

a.       Grave

b.      Burying bodies

c.       Lack of life

3)      Place of growth: nutrients/love

a.       Plants

b.      potatoes

Example 1: “jabbing the dirt” – frustration/anger at the return of the potatoes

                Example 2: “pushing dirt out of her house” – lack of acceptance/anxiety (function of dirt: impurity, thing to be removed, unacceptance)

                Example 3: eats the potato “taste is like stale dirt” (function of dirt: lack of life/place of removal)

                Example 4: buries potatoes (function of dirt: lack of life/place of removal)

                Example 5: unburies potatoes (function of dirt: growth/generation)

                Example 6: touches dirt, layers of dirt become part of potatoes (function of dirt: growth/generation)

                Example 7: potatoes are root vegetables, they require dirt to grow (function of dirt: growth/generation)

Bathroom – indicating woman’s privacy, closed, lack of love

Example 1: woman hides potatoes in the bathroom (bathroom as a place of secrecy)

Example 2: place of privacy/isolation (woman wants to be alone, sends potatoes out)

Example 3: place of intimacy

-          woman unwilling to share bathroom (lacks intimacy, lacks love)

-          neighbor willing to share (person who has love)

Example 4: reveal her lie (telling the truth – open, vulnerable)

Cemetery/Graves (unrequited love)

-          Cemetery = place of family/family home/absence of life

Woman Loves family (her love is not returned)

-          Bartender’s wife’s grave: epitaph “she was greatly loved” = expression of love made permanent (writing in stone), balance a lack/withholding of love

Bartender loves wife; love is not returned

-          Metaphorical grave: burying potatoes = lack of acceptance of potatoes/love

Potato children love the woman; their love is not returned

Eyes

1.       Eye of a potato (anatomy of a potato)

2.       Organ - Receive information (watching)

3.       Being watched

Example 1: eyes as identifying marks (familiarity)

Example 2: potatoes watching her (watching as accepting) = eyes as communication

Example 3: woman buries potato: potatoes watching the woman, (watching as indicting) = eyes as communication

Example 4: farmer views potatoes, woman views potatoes (watching as curiosity/acceptance)

Topics we did not get to (but are still really good)

• Unrequited Love
• Smell
• Cast Iron Pot
• Sunflowers

Assignment: Draft 1 (minimum of 3 pages) due on Friday.

Post as a Google Doc on your blog [name.sa1.doc]